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FDA Panel Votes 8-6 In Favor of Artificial Dyes

33 Replies

photo: OneHealthyGirl.com

Oh dear, we had our hopes up so high earlier this week. An advisory panel to the FDA convened for 2 days to review studies linking artificial food colorings with hyperactivity in children.

Unfortunately, the panel concluded that there is no clear indication that artificial food dyes cause hyperactivity and other behavioral problems in children.

What you need to know:

Bummer. What studies did European panels use to conclude the opposite? In the UK warning labels are required. As a result, most of the food industry has shifted to natural dyes.

This week’s vote was a close one. 8-6. The is panel constructed of scientists, industry representatives and consumer groups representatives. We wonder who voted what. We’ve written to some of the panelists and will update you if we hear anything back.

The only silver lining in this whole mess, is that the FDA is acknowledging that for some children with ADHD, artificial dyes may aggravate their symptoms.

What to do at the supermarket:

It may take the FDA another few years to reach the same conclusions as their EU counterparts. Our suggestion to you: don’t take your chances. There are plenty of options for foods without artificial dyes. Do yourself and your children a favor by leaving them out of science experiments.

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  • Ttn

    Corporate Lobbying?

    • http://ithinkitneedsmoreturbinado.blogspot.com/ SL

      More like “CORPORATE LOBBYING!!!”.

  • Anne

    This makes me extremely angry. I am p*ssed.

  • Anne

    This makes me extremely angry. I am p*ssed.

  • Anonymous

    A monumental disappointment. I am not anti-corporation by any means, but we let corporations poison us in this country. Why in the world are “industry representatives” part of this vote?! Completely maddening!

    Penny
    http://aMomsViewOfADHD.com

  • guest

    Terrible. My 4 year old son does not have ADHD. Yet if he eats foods with dye, he turns into a monster for a full day. Countless parents have the same experience. Why does our government constantly side with big corporations? Inconvenience corporations or hurt our children? How is that even a choice???

    • http://twitter.com/bostwickenator Alex

      Are you sure you don’t just have a little monster and want to blame it on someone else? When my son acts out I don’t blame it on food colouring. Cite me the unbiased published papers that show beyond experimental error that food colouring turns children into monsters.

      • Anne

        I don’t have to cite anything. I have seen it with my own eyes with my own child! I remember giving my son medication when he was about 10 months old for teething. Not soon after I gave him the medicine he was literally bouncing off the rails of his crib. This wasn’t because he was feeling better. This WAS from the medicine. Which of course had dyes in it. I switched to a dye free version at the advice of my Ped and he was fine.

        I have to say, this is ALSO the child that now has ADHD.

        • http://twitter.com/bostwickenator Alex

          Sorry to say but one child is not a scientific sample. Also if your son has ADHD isn’t he a minority case? If he can not handle food colouring why should his needs dominate over those who can? Sorry I know how hard dealing with children can be but you have to look at these cases from a logical standpoint.

        • Catherine

          Amen Anne. My son is a very happy go lucky easygoing little guy but was an emotional mess whilst taking antibiotics that were neon pink.

          • http://twitter.com/bostwickenator Alex

            Might I just say that antibiotics themselves cause a lot of side effects. They dramatically effect the gastrointestinal tract. Its much more likely its the proven drugs causing the effect not the colouring.

      • Flifer

        The have been found to cause: DNA damage, reproductive damage, psychotoxicity, nerve damage, headaches, hives and respiratory problems including asthma. You can find the documentation at http://www.ADHDdiet.org.

        • http://twitter.com/bostwickenator Alex

          Surely this is only relevant to children with ADHD?

          • Cat

            My child does not have ADHD and has severe reactions to food dyes (I react as well but not quite as severely). She ate Jello at school the other day and was hysterical and saying suicidal things that afternoon. She is 8 yrs old. She will NOT be eating at school ever again. Without food dyes she is a perfectly normal happy kid. You should see it and then you would understand. There was a study done by a University in the UK that showed quite conclusively how food dyes have a similar affect to certain narcotics. Maybe that is why they voted yes over there. I will try to find the article I read. I remember thinking to myself that finally it could be proven and the governments would take note and ban these horrific substances but no, of course not. I just don’t get it.

          • Jim Cooper

            The studies by Prof Jim Stevenson at Southampton have been extensively analyzed and the found to be inconclusive. And while they are basically good science, there are a number of problems with them. And these are the ONLY refereed studies on food colorings and hyperactivity. This is why the FDA decided more studies were needed.

      • Jessicaurbina

        i have to say… i have the same issue, we thought our daughter had behavior issues, but i cut the artificial dyes and she’s a sweetheart.  Over fathers day weekend she ate some things with artificial dyes and the very next day she starts with the behavior again.  that is NOT COINCIDENCE !!!!!

  • http://www.farmhousegarden.blogspot.com A.J.A.

    That cake looks tasty! I can feel my hands starting to shake and my thoughts racing just looking at it….

    I’m not surprised about the vote, but it is still disappointing.

  • http://twitter.com/lauren_015 Lauren Smith

    haha I actually think that cake looks atrocious. Like somebody ate Play-doh, then barfed it into a bundt pan and baked it.

  • Irina

    My eczema always flares up like crazy when I have anything with food dyes and it was always so hard to find foods that don’t put any coloring in them, especially when I was a kid and wanted something yummy after dinner. Of course now I’ve found plenty of products that use natural food coloring but it still makes it hard to go out to eat to restaurants or even for ice cream because you never know what they put in it. What I don’t understand is why we condition our children to think that such unnatural bright colors (like that cake in the post) are something positive. In my opinion, something like a natural strawberry cake that gets its faint pink color from the fresh berries in it looks a lot more delicious. Food dyes don’t add anything good to the food so why do we still get red dyes in things like hot sauce which can be red all by itself?

  • HTB

    I have been looking for a cereal at the regular super markets for my 4 year old child, (w/ out buying at the whole foods store) that does not have any food coloring and I want it to be kid friendly and something that he would love. We eat Kashi brand but they have nothing for kids. Please recommend something….

    • Flifer

      A child on Stage One of he Feingold diet might like Trader Joe’s Frosted Bit Size Wheats or Joe’s O’s Toasted Oat Cereal. There are others. The Feingold Association publishes a shopping guide of all sorts of products free of dyes–and free of artificial flavorings (such as vanillin), preservates, Aspartame. The guide has nearly 200 pages.

    • Teenager

      Cereals don’t have to be ‘for’ children… I don’t remember what I liked when I was four years old, but how about regular whole oat/wheat cereals + fruit and/or hazelnuts? Hazelnuts taste great, they’re pretty soft and they have a good amount of energy.

    • Slbedgood

      Well Cascadian Farms does make some ‘kid’s cereal’. But, my kids like any of the granola cereals… Nature’s Path makes a flax and pumpkin seed one they like. I buy both CA and NP cereals at Walmart. But, we only do cold cereal once or twice a week for breakfast. The other days we have real oatmeal, plain yogurt with fruit and honey or scrambled eggs. Almost always have fruit, even on cereal days.

  • http://twitter.com/bostwickenator Alex

    Surely if you don’t want artificial dyes in your food then just don’t buy foods containing them. If people cared the market would speak and they would be pushed out by consumer pressure.

    Don’t spoil it for everyone who doesn’t have ADHD. Maybe I want a rainbow cupcake.

  • Flifer

    It is a disappointment but let’s hope all this publicity has made the consumer more aware of what is in our foods. The panel did discuss this a lot and then could only vote yes or no, but they did recommend that more studies are necessary. I hope that they will be better designed. Until then use http://www.feingold.org and their wondeful materials as a good resource.

  • Flifer

    It is a disappointment but let’s hope all this publicity has made the consumer more aware of what is in our foods. The panel did discuss this a lot and then could only vote yes or no, but they did recommend that more studies are necessary. I hope that they will be better designed. Until then use http://www.feingold.org and their wondeful materials as a good resource.

  • Jim Cooper

    Oh, horse pucky!
    They did nothing of the sort.
    They read Stevenson’s papers (as I have). Then they read their referee’s reports on these papers (as I have) and decided that the evidence was insufficient.
    It would be nice to have a clear cut conclusion, but the research is not that conclusive.
    Anecdotal testimony is insufficient, and the results are simply inconclusive.

    • Sarah @ Semi-Sweet

      So Jim, how about applying the precautionary principle? Why should we put the burden on the consumer to prove harm? Wouldn’t it be great if our FDA stepped in to help protect citizens instead of bowing to corporate lobbying? We’re talking warnings, not an outright ban. I agree w/you that the evidence is insufficient, but anecdotal evidence is still evidence that these dyes are bad for us and our kids – whether it’s hyperactivity or other issues . . . let’s at least make consumers AWARE of what they’re feeding themselves and their families.

      • Jim Cooper

        Labels already list artificial colorings. Should they say: “This product contains Red #40 which no one has proved is harmful?”

        • Sarah @ Semi-Sweet

          I hear you, and I am a label reader, but the average American is not.

  • http://www.thefrugaldietitian.com Nancy – The Frugal dietitian

    I agree with the FDA decision. Many times when artificial dyes are removed from the diet – there goes lots of processed foods = healthier diets.

  • Jesshoene

    The less ingredients the better! Artificial? Why?

  • Mike

    No reasonable person can look at that cake and say with straight face, “gee whiz, i know it glows, but boy that makes me hungery!!…”

    All kidding aside, you will continue to get crap in your food as long as your population buys it and your elected officials allow it. The solutions are clear, stop buying it and demand change with elections!!